Covered boxes or cartons



March 18, 1958 K. T. BUTTER! 2 2,827,222

comm: BoxEs OR CARTON File d June 25, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 18, 1958 Filed June 23, 1951 K. T. BUTTERY 2,827,222

IN V EN TOR.

w/MK/A 254/22,

United States Patent covnnno BoXEs on CARTONS Kenneth T. Buttery, Kalamazoo, Mich., assignor to Sutherland Paper Company, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Application June 23, 1951, Serial No. 233,170

2 Claims. (Cl. 229-45) This invention relates to improvements in covered boxes or cartons.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a covered box or carton in which the cover is effectively retained for handling of the box and at the same time permits limited relative telescoping movement between the covering and the box body.

Second, to provide a covered box or carton in which the cover telescopes over the body, the cover and body having interlocking parts Which may be quickly engaged or disengaged as occasion requires.

Third, to provide a covered box or carton having these advantages which may be economically produced from carton or container stock.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is pointed out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a covered box or carton embodying my invention, one position of the cover being indicated by full lines and another position being indicated by dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the body member and cover member in separated position showing structural details thereof prior to the closing of the cover and the interlocking engagement thereof with the body member.

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view showing the cover in closed position prior to the interlocking engagement of the retaining tongues thereof with the body member.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the manner of engaging the retaining tongues of the cover member with openings provided therefor in the body member.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary inside view in section on a line corresponding to line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the cover member blank in the fiat or extended position.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the body member blank in the fiat or extended position.

Certain food products, such as fresh mushrooms, under certain conditions grow or expand substantially after being packaged for merchandizing. This may result in the bruising and damaging and discoloring of the product and in certain forms of packages that have been used, the breaking of the package. I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawing as embodied by me in boxes or cartons primarily designed for the packaging of fresh mushrooms.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated comprises a box body member designated generally by the numeral 1 and a cover member designated generally by the numeral 2 and telescopically engageable with the body member. The body member is formed from an integral .blank designated generally by the numeral 3 (Fig 7) tee while the cover member is formed of an integral blank designated by the numeral 4 (Fig. 6).

The body member comprises a bottom 5, side Walls 6-6 hingedly connected to the bottom at 7-7 and end walls 88 hingedly connected to the bottom at 99. The end walls are provided with corner flaps 10 hingedly connected thereto at 11 and provided with upwardly projecting tongues 12 on their outer side edges. The side walls are provided with angled slits 13 which are adapted to receive the corner flaps, the portions 14 defined by the slits 13 being deflectable to facilitate the insertion of the corner flaps and the engagement of the tongues 12 with the upper edges of the upper angled portions of the corner flaps, thus supporting the supporting walls in erected position.

The cover member is of such size as to telescope loosely over the body member and it comprises the top wall 15, side walls 16 hingedly connected to the top Wall at 17 and walls 18 hingedly connected to the top wall 15 at 19. The side walls 16 are provided with corner flaps 20 having upwardly projecting tongues 21 on their outer side edges while the end Walls have angled slits 22 adapted to receive the portions of the corner flaps, the slits 22 defining deflectable portions 23 facilitating the engagement of the corner flaps. It will be noted that in the body member the corner flaps are on the end walls while in the cover member they are on the side walls. The purpose of this is to bring the corner flaps of the cover member and body member out of alignment so that there is less likelihood of their engaging. The terms side and end walls are used as a matter of convenience in describing the parts and not as a matter of dimension limitation.

The walls 8 of the body member are provided with vertical U-shaped slits 24 defining openings 25 which are normally closed by the depending tongues 26. Corresponding walls or end walls 18 of the cover member are provided with vertical angled slits 27 defining dovetailed tongues 28 aligned with the openings 25 when the cover is closed or telescoped over the body. To prevent the tongues being distorted or broken off in handling the blanks, the slits 27 preferably terminate adjacent to but in spaced relation to the bottom edges 29 of the cover Walls 18, the unslit portions 30 (see Fig. 6) being readily broken or fractured when the cover is telescoped over the body and pressure applied to the tongues to push them through the openings 25 and into interlocking engagement therewith. With the tongues 28 in locked or engaged position, the cover is retained upon the box for handling but may expand or move outwardly as is indicated by the dotted lines 32 in Fig. 1.

When it is desired to remove the cover, fingers may be inserted through the openings 25 to engage the bottom edges of the tongues and pull them outwardly through the openings and if it is desired to reclose the box, it is only necessary to close the cover and push inwardly on the tongues.

The structure of the box and cover member insofar as the interlocking of the Walls thereof are concerned is substantially that of my Letters Patent No. 2,712,409, issued July 5, 1955. I have illustrated that type of structure as it illustrates the form in which I have embodied my present invention commercially.

The openings 33 in the cover and body member are for ventilation.

I have illustrated and described my invention in a highly practical commercial embodiment thereof. I have not attempted to illustrate or describe other emb0di-.

0 ments which I contemplate as it is believed the disclosure Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A covered box comprising a body member having 7 four upstandingwalls, one opposed pair of walls having 'centra'llypositioned vertical U-.shaped slits therein spaced from the upper edges of the walls and defining vertical openings andyclosures for 'the openings hingef ly connected to the upper edges thereof and bodily swingabl'e through the openings, and a four-walled cover member I telescopingly embracing the walls of the body member,

the opposed pair of cover member walls corresponding to the walls 'of the body member having the openings therein having laterally spaced angled slits extending vertically from the "lower edges thereof and defining swingable tongues having heads at' their lower ends of a .widthrexceeding the Width of the'openingsiinsaid body member walls and aligned therewith when the cover is closed and adapted 'to be inserted therethrough "by inward thrust on the tongues to engage the heads of the tongues with the inner sides of the body member Walls, the upper edges of the heads being spaced substantially from the upper ends of said body member openings when the'cover is in fully closed position and the tongues inserted in said openings 'insaid body member thereby permitting substantial vertical movement of the cover relative to .the body member to vary the capacity of the box 7 member walls corresponding to the walls of the body member having the openings therein having laterally spaced slits extending vertically from the lower edges thereof and defining swingable tongues having heads at their lower ends of a width exceeding the width of the openings in said body member walls and aligned therewith when the cover is closed and insertable therethrough by inward thrust on the tongues to engage. the heads of the tongues with the inner sides of'the body member walls, the upper edges of the heads being spaced substantially from the upper ends of said body'member openings when the cover is in fully closed position and the tongues inserted in said openings in said body member thereby permitting substantial Vertical movement of the cover relative to the body member to 'vary the capacity of the box while retaining the'cover on the body member, said openings in said body member providing finger openings permitting the engagement of the lower edges of the engaged tongues for disengaging the tongues from the body member. 7 Y

- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,120,955 Martin a Dec. '15, 1914 1,150,490 Bingaman Aug. 17, 1915 1,383,148 Pinkerton .lune.28, 1921 1,765,964 Berton June 24, 1930 1,821,059 Honigbaum Sept. 1, 1931 2,041,021 'Quagliotti May 19, 1936 2,340,753 Inman Feb. l, 1944 2,458,578 Evans 1 Jan. 11, 1949 2,507,978 Iubin May 16 1950 2,574,384 George Nov, 6, 1951 FQREIGN-PATENTS i 398,044 Great Britain Sept.'7, I933 

